Week Ahead

Upcoming Important Dates 

Principal Update

Sibylla Kiddle School Families,

I love a good picture book. When my kids were a little younger, one of my favourite things to do with them was to read picture books. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Jon Klassen, How to Train a Train by Jason Eaton and If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur by Linda Bailey and Colin Jack were among my favourite. They had story lines my kids and I could listen to over and over again. They had characters that I just wanted to add my own voice characterization to. They were simply fun to read.

Reading to your child, whether a board book, picture book or a chapter book has unlimited benefits. I would argue it is the number one thing you can do at home to support your child’s learning. It develops their vocabulary, fluency and word recognition. It invites conversations about character predicaments. Critical thinking is fostered and social skills are honed. Just 10 – 15 minutes a day will be good for your well-being, will help you connect with your child and will further strengthen their learning journey.

This upcoming week our book fair is coming to the school. Further information about the purchasing process will come home on Monday. There is no obligation to buy a book but

the opportunity is there. In fact, you don’t need to ever buy a book. Both our school library and the Calgary Public Library (free membership) have more books than one could ever read in a lifetime. It doesn’t matter where you get a book, just grab one, put on some cozy socks, make a cup of tea and settle in for a good read on a cold winter day.

Brad Emery Principal

Winter Weather Reminders

Winter arrived with a vengeance this week. The CBE has published a variety of reminders with respect to winter weather days. These reminders include the need to take extra caution getting to and from school, tips for being prepared and information about potential transportation delays. Families are encouraged to read through this site for more information.

Winter Weather Outdoor Guidelines

In alignment with CBE guidelines, we will continue to take our breaks outdoors as long as the temperature is warmer than -20̊C, with or without the wind chill. This means students should come prepared to be outside everyday as bitter cold morning temperatures can warm up during the day. We are already opening school doors 10 minutes before school begins. This practice will continue, regardless of the weather, so that students have a warm building to be in on inclement days. Should the temperature be -20̊C or colder, we will be doing indoor activities and the doors in the morning will open at 7:45 AM.

LifeTouch Individual Photo Proofs

We understand there was slight delay in processing individual student photo proofs, from LifeTouch. We anticipate receiving the proofs early next week and we will send those home as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Staffing Update

Congratulations go out to Karolina Filarecka who has moved into a permanent position with the Finance Department of the CBE. Karolina has been working in a temporary role, in this department, for the past year but it has now been made permanent. We want to thank Karolina for her years of service at Sibylla Kiddle School. Karolina was one of our original staff members. Every day she worked hard to support the many members of our school community, always putting a priority on the well-being of our students. Thank you Karolina!

We are currently moving through the process of hiring Karolina’s replacement and will update families as we have more information.

Mustard Seed Basic Essentials

Yesterday, you will have received information about a school wide initiative to support The Mustard Seed, this season. We are collecting adult sized warm socks, mittens and gloves. We are also collecting travel-sized toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body

wash, lotion, tissues, lip balm and deodorant. Students can bring collected items into the school for us to pass along to The Mustard Seed.

Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming during this week. It will run December 2 – 4. The first day will simply be for student browsing. The next two days students will have the opportunity to purchase books. More information will be sent home on Monday in your child’s backpack.